OCR Text |
Show - Belgian Barge Dogs Have Been UsedF Usedor UsedFor Used UsedFor For F or Many Years as Guards on Boats Travelers in Belgium Belglum sometimessee sometimes see on the decks of barges andcanal and andcanal andcanal canal boats little httle black dogs keeping keep keeping keeping ing their watchful eyes on everything every everythmg everything thmg thing going on about them Theyare They Theyare Theyare are the Belgian barge dogs andfrom and andfrom andfrom from their thelI use they derive denve theirname their theirname theirname name which wIDch Incidentally ! Is s pro pro- pronounced pronounced - . nounced skeeperkeh and means in inFlemish inFlemish InFlemish Flemish little htue skipper writes P PHamilton PHamilton PHamilton Hamilton GoodseU Goodsell in m the DetroIt DetroItNews DetroitNews DetroitNews DetroitNewsLittle News NewsLittle Little is definitely known of the thebreed thebreed thebreed breed s origin orlgm It has been used formany formany for , many years as a guard on the boats boatsthat boatsthat boatsI that ply the Inland waters of Fland Flanders Flandera Flanders ers era It may have been distantly distantlyrelated distantlyrelated distantlyrelated related to the Pomeranian as theyboth they theyboth theyboth both have the same fox like headwith head headwith headwith with bright bnght eyes upstanding upstandmg smallears small smallears smallears ears and dainty weU well shaped littlefeet littlefeetAlthough litUe little litUefeet littlefeet feet . . Although the Schipperke Schlpperke Schapperke has notthe not notthe notthe the full tull coat of o1 the Pomeranianone Pomeraman Pomeranian . , one of ot its ltS characteristics charactcnsltcs is its profuse pro profuse profuse fuse ruff ruffIt ruffIt ruffIt It weighs wcighs up to 18 pounds and andpossesses andpossesses andpossesses possesses the usual terrier terner Qualities QualitiesThe qualitiesThe qualitiesThe The breed first made its appearance appearanceIn in England in the eight es as but 1t 1twas ! itwas t twas was not until much later that it be became became became came known to any extent m in this thiscountry thiscountry thiscountryAt country countryAt At one tone the time tune it is said sailors sailora on ships bound tor for America from Belgian Bel Belgian Belgian gian ports would steal these dogsand dogs dogsand dogsand and find a ready market tor for them themIt themIt themIt It is an exceUent excellent watchdog everalert ever everalert everalert alert and inquisitive and somewhatsuspicious somewhat somewhatsuspicious somewhatsuspicious suspicious of stranger strangers * , and It isplendid 11 is 11splendId issplendid * splendId with . children . . It la b is a good hunter of rats moles molesand molesand molesand and other vermin and can be used usedto usedto usedto to hunt rabbits rabbitsIt It is hardy and easy to care for forAltogether forAltogether forAltogether Altogether it is an attractive atiractlve busi bus businessWte buslnesshke ! nessWte nessiike little htUe dog Ideal for the thesmall thesmall thesmall small house or apartment , , and pos possessed possessed possessed sessed of sufficient reserve to classi class classify classity ! fy it in the one man categoryThe categoryThe category | The breed is b ! s listed as non sport sport- sporting sporting - . ing mg and not as a toy or terrier |